A Noble Gift To Be Brown

 

 Photo by Chris Benson on Unsplash

The Bronze Legacy
Effie Lee Newsome - 1885-1979

’Tis a noble gift to be brown, all brown,
     Like the strongest things that make up this earth,
Like the mountains grave and grand,
     Even like the very land,
     Even like the trunks of trees—
     Even oaks, to be like these!
God builds His strength in bronze.

To be brown like thrush and lark!
     Like the subtle wren so dark!
Nay, the king of beasts wears brown;
     Eagles are of this same hue.
I thank God, then, I am brown.
     Brown has mighty things to do.

This poem is in the public domain. Published in Poem-a-Day on June 30, 2019, by the Academy of American Poets.

I'm dedicating this poem to my grandchildren, who I know will have 'mighty things to do.'

Click here for a celebration of black poets.

Writing prompts:

• Write about some of the 'mighty things' that you have done in your life.
• Do you ever think about the colour of your skin? Look at your skin carefully for a while. Observe its colour, texture and any freckles, blemishes, lines or wrinkles. Now write for six minutes about your skin and any feelings it arouses.
• Imagine your skin is a different colour. If you are black, imagine being white; if you are white imagine being black, or mixed race. Write about how it feels to live in your world being this new colour.
• Now imagine everyone in the world has blue skin, but yours is green. Write about how that feels and what happens to you.